Pope: Let us make sure that the Gospel becomes ever more flesh in our own lives

At the Angelus, Pope Francis reiterates that to "know Jesus", we must " read a passage every day, a passage from the Gospel” so as “to open our hearts to Jesus, and make him known to others better.” The mystery of evil leads us to close “the door in the face of the Son of God” and let in evil who “lies in wait at our door”. We should entrust ourselves to Mary, Mother of Jesus and our mother whom we contemplate in the manger.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis led the faithful in St Peter's Square in the recitation of the Angelus on the first Sunday of the new year, saying, “Especially in this Holy Year of Mercy, let us make sure that the Gospel becomes ever more flesh in our own lives too”.

During the final greetings, he also reiterated how to incarnate the Gospel "in daily life” in the “advice I gave you many times: read a passage every day, a passage of the Gospel, to know Jesus better, to open our hearts to Jesus, and make him known to others better."

The pope took the opportunity of the "incarnation" of the Gospel in today's Mass (Second Sunday after Christmas, Jn 1: 1-18), the prologue to the Gospel of John, to note that “‘the Word’ – that is, the creative Word of God – was made flesh, and dwelt among us’ (Jn 1:14). That Word, which dwells in heaven, that is, in the dimension of God, came to earth so that we might listen and be able to know and touch with our hand the love of the Father.”

The pope spoke about the Word’s rejection, where the Gospel says, “they did not receive Him” and instead “closed the door in the face of the Son of God”. He explained that “the mystery of evil that insinuates [itself] into our lives, too, [. . .] demands vigilance and care on our part so that it will not prevail. The Book of Genesis says, in a good sentence that makes us understand this – it says that evil ‘lies in wait at our door’ (cfr. Gn 4:7). Woe to us if we allow it to enter [for] it would then close our door to everyone else. Instead, we are called to throw open the door of our heart to the Word of God, to Jesus, in order thus to become His children.

“Especially in this Holy Year of Mercy, let us make sure that the Gospel becomes ever more flesh in our own lives too. Drawing near to the Gospel, meditating on it and incarnating it in daily life is the best way to understand Jesus and bring Him to others. This is the vocation and the joy of every baptised person: showing Jesus and giving Him to others. But to do this, we have to know Him, and have Him within us, as the Lord of our life. He will defend us from evil, from the devil. He is always lying in wait by our door, and wants to enter.

Therefore it is important to entrust ourselves to Mary. "Let us contemplate the sweet image of the mother of Jesus and our mother in these days of the crib."

After the Marian prayer, the pontiff greeted the various groups of pilgrims present in the square, at least 30,000. He then renewed his best wishes of Happy New Year. "I renew to all good wishes of peace and good tidings in the Lord. In happy times and in bad times, let us entrust ourselves to Him who is our compassion and our hope."

"I also remember,” he added, “the commitment we made on New Year’s Day, Day of Peace: ‘Overcome indifference and win peace'. With the grace of God, we can put it into practice."

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Pope: Let us make sure that the Gospel becomes ever more flesh in our own lives Middle East South Asia Central Asia South East Asia North Asia South West Asia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Brunei Myanmar Bhutan Afghanistan Armenia Cambodia China East Timor Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Macau Malaysia Mongolia Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen Palestine Hong Kong Jordan Europe Nord America Sud America Africa East Asia At the Angelus, Pope Francis reiterates that to "know Jesus", we must " read a passage every day, a passage from the Gospel” so as “to open our hearts to Jesus, and make him known to others better.” The mystery of evil leads us to close “the door in the face of the Son of God” and let in evil who “lies in wait at our door”. We should entrust ourselves to Mary, Mother of Jesus and our mother whom we contemplate in the manger.

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During the general audience, Francis said that "The Lord’s mercy renders man precious, as a personal richness that belongs to Him, which He guards and with which He is pleased.” What is more, “in this Year of Mercy, we can also do the work of being mediators of mercy with works of mercy to come close, to give relief, to create unity. So many good things can be done.”

The title of the papal Lenten message for the Holy Year is ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13). The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee’. For the pope, “sinful structures” are “linked to a model of false development based on the idolatry of money.” And, “the danger always remains that by a constant refusal to open the doors of their hearts to Christ who knocks on them in the poor, the proud, rich and powerful will end up condemning themselves and plunging into the eternal abyss of solitude which is Hell.”

14/01/2016 VATICANIn his Jubilee message for boys and girls, pope calls for courage to go against the tideFrancis issues message for Jubilee days dedicated to youth, 23-25 April, on the theme of being ‘Merciful like the Father’. He tells young people that “To be merciful means to grow in a love which is courageous, generous and real. It means to grow physically and spiritually.” Likewise, “Jesus gives us this courage! … With him, we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses. Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things.”

09/12/2015 VATICANPope: Church "needs" Jubilee of Mercy, it’s "what pleases God most”"Even the necessary work of renewal of the institutions and structures of the Church is a medium that should lead us to have a living and life-giving experience of God's mercy which alone can guarantee the Church to be that city set on a hill that cannot remain hidden. Only a merciful Church shines". A "beautiful" and "easy" prayer "to say every day: 'Lord, I am a sinner; Lord, I am a sinner: Come with Your mercy".

11/04/2015 VATICANThe Holy Year of Mercy sums up “the mystery of the Christian faith”The Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee, which will begin on 8 December 2015, and end on 20 November 2016, has been announced. It will be celebrated not only in Rome, but also in all the dioceses of the world and in the main shrines. The "Missionaries of Mercy" will lead the call to conversion, in particular to those who are far away, those engaged in organised violence and those who either perpetrate or participate in corruption.

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